System and method for automatic bluetooth pairing

ABSTRACT

A method and system for automatically connecting one customer device with another over a Bluetooth or similar connection. The automatic connection may be made by generating a unique identifier to store on a new customer device and a backend system associated with an existing customer device and connecting the new customer device with the existing customer device using the unique identifier.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of, and claims priority under 35U.S.C. § 120 to, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/196,682, filed Nov.20, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/920,514, filed Mar. 14, 2018 and issued Jan. 1, 2019 as U.S. Pat. No.10,171,979, which is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 15/698,724 filed Sep. 8, 2017 and issued Apr. 17,2018 as U.S. Pat. No. 9,949,065, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/440,525, filed on Dec. 30, 2016, theentire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference intheir entireties.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to automatically connecting one customerdevice with another over a Bluetooth or similar connection.Specifically, the present disclosure relates to generating a uniqueidentifier to store on a new customer device and a backend systemassociated with an existing customer device and connecting the newcustomer device with the existing customer device using the uniqueidentifier.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Currently, in order to connect two devices using Bluetooth, the devicesmust be paired by a user manually confirming the identity of thedevice(s) being paired. Specifically, the device to use must be put indiscovery mode by pressing a button or opening a Bluetooth settingscene. Then, a user must enter a settings screen to select thediscoverable device on the connecting device. For security reasons, theuser may also be required to input a PIN in order to pair the devicesvia Bluetooth, precluding other devices from being paired without theuser's authorization. Accordingly, pairing two devices over Bluetoothrequires a number of user inputs, several of which are subject to usererror, with its attendant drawbacks on consumer satisfaction, networkefficiency, and security.

These and other drawbacks exist.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a system andmethod for automatically and securely connecting two devices over aBluetooth connection without a user confirming the identity of thedevice(s) as described above. As described herein, one device may bedescribed as a new customer device. A new customer device may be anydevice capable of connecting with another device using Bluetooth. A newcustomer device may be a user device newly received by a customer or auser device to newly pair with an existing customer device. As describedherein, a second device may be an existing customer device. An existingcustomer device may be any device capable of connecting with anotherdevice using Bluetooth. An existing customer device may be a devicealready in possession of a user.

In an example embodiment, a new customer device may be paired with anexisting customer device using a unique identifier (ID). A unique ID maybe generated using existing data, such as a mobile device number, acustomer name, a customer address, a customer account number, a deviceidentifier, and the like. A unique ID may be generated using a randomnumber generator. A unique ID may be a hashed version of any singlepiece or combination of existing data.

In an example embodiment, a unique ID may be pre-stored on the newcustomer device by the device provider. The same unique ID also may bestored on a backend system hosted by the device provider. In thismanner, when a customer receives the new customer device, the newcustomer device already has a unique ID stored within the device. Aunique ID may be used as a link key for pairing two devices overBluetooth. A unique ID may be used to generate a link key for pairingtwo devices over Bluetooth.

In an example embodiment, when a customer receives the new customerdevice, an existing customer device may detect the new customer deviceand open an application stored on the existing customer device upon thedetection. The application stored on the existing customer device maytransmit a request to the device provider system over a secureconnection. A request may include a request for a unique ID associatedwith the existing customer device application (e.g., an accountassociated with the existing customer device) and/or a device identifierassociated with the new device. In response to the request, the deviceprovider system may transmit the unique ID to the existing device overthe secure connection. In response to the request, the device providersystem may transmit a new device ID to the existing device over a secureconnection. The new device ID may include a time-based one timepassword.

In an example embodiment, upon receiving a unique ID, an existingcustomer device may transmit a first data packet to the new customerdevice. An existing customer device also may control wirelesscommunications based on the new device ID such that the existing devicemay only accept interaction requests (e.g., a request to pair) from adevice associated with the new device identifier. The first data packetmay include a request for devices capable of pairing with the existingdevice. The first data packet may include a request for a unique ID fromthe new customer device. The first data packet may include the unique IDreceived at the existing device from the device provider system.

In an example embodiment, the new customer device may respond to firstdata packet. If the first data packet includes the unique ID from theexisting customer device, the new customer device may generate a linkkey using the unique ID. In this manner the new customer device maycryptographically authenticate the identity of the existing customerdevice. For example, the new customer device may decrypt the receivedunique ID using a secret key stored on the new customer device. The newcustomer device may then compare the received unique ID with the uniqueID stored within the new customer device and, if the unique IDs match,the new customer device may generate a link key to create a connectionbetween the new customer device and the existing customer device. If theunique IDs do not match, a connection may not be made.

A link key may then be used to generate an Asynchronous Connection-Less(ACL) link, which may be encrypted to provide a secure connectionbetween the new customer device and the existing customer device. Thelink key may be stored as a private key on the new customer device. Thelink key may be stored as a public key on a backend system.

In an example embodiment, if a first data packet includes a request forthe new customer device to respond with its unique ID, the new customerdevice may encrypt the unique ID stored within the new customer deviceand transmit the encrypted unique ID to the existing customer device inresponse to the first data packet. Upon receiving the response to thefirst data packet, the existing customer device may decrypt the receivedunique ID using a secret key stored within the existing customer device,and compare the decrypted received unique ID with the unique ID receivedfrom the device provider system. If the unique IDs match, the existingcustomer device may generate a link key to create a connection betweenthe existing customer device and the new customer device. If the uniqueIDs do not match, a connection may not be made.

A link key may then be used to generate an Asynchronous Connection-Less(ACL) link, which may be encrypted to provide a secure connectionbetween the new customer device and the existing customer device.

Where a first data packet includes a request for responses from devicescapable of pairing with the existing device, the request may include arequest to respond with a device ID. A new device may respond with a newdevice ID and, if the new device ID matches the new device ID receivedat the existing device from the device provider system, the existingdevice may proceed with a second data packet to initiate the pairing ofthe existing device to the new device using a unique ID as describedherein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the present disclosure, together with furtherobjects and advantages, may best be understood by reference to thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in the several Figures of which like reference numeralsidentify like elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 depicts an example embodiment of a system for automaticallycreating a Bluetooth connection according to embodiments of thedisclosure;

FIG. 2 depicts an example embodiment of an electronic card as a newcustomer device according to embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 depicts an example embodiment of an electronic card as a newcustomer device according to embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 depicts an example embodiment of an electronic card as a newcustomer device and a mobile device as an existing customer deviceaccording to embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 depicts an example embodiment of a backend system connection to aclient device, such as the connection between a device provider systemand a customer device according to embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 6 depicts an example method for automatically creating a Bluetoothconnection between a new customer device and an existing customer deviceaccording to embodiments of the disclosure; and

FIG. 7 depicts an example method for automatically creating a Bluetoothconnection between a new customer device and an existing customer deviceaccording to embodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The following description is intended to convey a thorough understandingof the embodiments described by providing number of specific exemplaryembodiments and details involving automatically creating a Bluetoothconnection between a new customer device and an existing customerdevice. It should be appreciated, however, that the present disclosureis not limited to these specific embodiments and details, which areexamples only. It is further understood that one possessing ordinaryskill in the art, in light of known systems and methods, wouldappreciate the use of the invention for its intended purposes andbenefits in any number of alternative embodiments, depending on specificdesign and other needs.

A financial institution and system supporting a financial institutionare used as examples for the disclosure. The disclosure is not intendedto be limited to financial institutions only. For example, many otherdevice and account providers may exist, such as electronics companies(e.g., smartphone companies, wearable companies, headset companies,television and monitor companies, and the like).

Additionally, an electronic transaction card is used as an example of anew customer device. The disclosure is not intended to be limited toelectronic transaction cards only. For example, many other devices mayexist, such as any device capable of communicating using a Bluetoothconnection. An electronic transaction card may include any type oftransaction card that includes a microcontroller-enabled card used inany type of transaction, including, for example, debit cards, creditcards, pre-paid cards, cards used in transportation systems, membershipprograms, loyalty programs, hotel systems, and the like. An electronictransaction card may include enhanced features, including hardware,software, and firmware, beyond the traditional features of a magneticstripe or EMV card. An electronic transaction card may include a TrustedPlatform Module (TPM), and may store encryption keys for hardwareauthentication.

Additionally, a mobile device is used as an example of an existingcustomer device. The disclosure is not intended to be limited to mobiledevices only. For example, many other devices may exist, such as anydevice capable of communicating using a Bluetooth connection. The use of“mobile device” in the examples throughout this application is only byway of example. Any type of device capable of communicating with a newcustomer device may also be used, including, for example, personalcomputers, tablets, gaming systems, televisions, cars, appliances (e.g.,refrigerators), lighting systems, or any other device capable ofcommunicating with a new customer device.

As shown in FIG. 1, an example system 100 may include one or more newdevice provider systems 120, one or more new customer devices 130, andone or more existing customer devices 140 connected over one or morenetworks 110.

For example, network 110 may be one or more of a wireless network, awired network or any combination of wireless network and wired network.For example, network 110 may include one or more of a fiber opticsnetwork, a passive optical network, a cable network, an Internetnetwork, a satellite network, a wireless LAN, a Global System for MobileCommunication (“GSM”), a Personal Communication Service (“PCS”), aPersonal Area Network (“PAN”), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP),Multimedia Messaging Service (MIMS), Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS),Short Message Service (SMS), Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) basedsystems, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) based systems, DAMPS,Wi-Fi, Fixed Wireless Data, IEEE 802.11b, 802.15.1, 802.11n and 802.11g,a Bluetooth network, or any other wired or wireless network fortransmitting and receiving a data signal.

In addition, network 110 may include, without limitation, telephonelines, fiber optics, IEEE Ethernet 902.3, a wide area network (“WAN”), alocal area network (“LAN”), a wireless personal area network (“WPAN”),or a global network such as the Internet. Also network 110 may supportan Internet network, a wireless communication network, a cellularnetwork, or the like, or any combination thereof. Network 110 mayfurther include one network, or any number of the example types ofnetworks mentioned above, operating as a stand-alone network or incooperation with each other. Network 110 may utilize one or moreprotocols of one or more network elements to which they arecommunicatively coupled. Network 110 may translate to or from otherprotocols to one or more protocols of network devices. Although network110 is depicted as a single network, it should be appreciated thataccording to one or more embodiments, network 110 may comprise aplurality of interconnected networks, such as, for example, theInternet, a service provider's network, a cable television network,corporate networks, and home networks.

New customer device 130 and/or existing customer device 140 may include,for example, one or more mobile devices, such as, for example, anelectronic smartcard (e.g., electronic transaction card), personaldigital assistants (PDA), tablet computers and/or electronic readers(e.g., iPad, Kindle Fire, Playbook, Touchpad, etc.), wearable devices(e.g., Google Glass), telephony devices, smartphones, cameras, musicplaying devices (e.g., iPod, etc.), televisions, set-top-box devices,and the like.

New customer device 130 and/or existing customer device 140 may be anydevice capable communicating via, for example, Bluetooth technology, NFCtechnology, WiFi Direct technology, and/or the like and execute variousfunctions to transmit and receive data. For example, new customer device130 and/or existing customer device 140 could be an iPhone, iPod, iPadfrom Apple® or any other mobile device running Apple's iOS operatingsystem, any device running Google's Android® operating system,including, for example, smartphones running the Android® operatingsystem and/or other wearable mobile devices, such as Google Glass orSamsung Galaxy Gear Smartwatch, any device running Microsoft's Windows®Mobile operating system, and/or any other smartphone or like device.

New customer device 130 and/or existing customer device 140 also may bea network-enabled computer system and/or device. As referred to herein,a network-enabled computer system and/or device may include, but is notlimited to: e.g., any computer device, or communications deviceincluding, e.g., a server, a network appliance, a personal computer(PC), a workstation, a mobile device, a phone, a handheld PC, a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a thin client, a fat client, an Internetbrowser, or other device. The network-enabled computer systems mayexecute one or more software applications to, for example, receive dataas input from an entity accessing the network-enabled computer system,process received data, transmit data over a network, and receive dataover a network.

New customer device 130 and/or existing customer device 140 may includeat least one central processing unit (CPU), which may be configured toexecute computer program instructions to perform various processes andmethods. New customer device 130 and/or existing customer device 140 mayinclude data storage, including for example, random access memory (RAM)and read only memory (ROM), which may be configured to access and storedata and information and computer program instructions. Data storage mayalso include storage media or other suitable type of memory (e.g., suchas, for example, RAM, ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM),erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks,floppy disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, any typeof tangible and non-transitory storage medium), where the files thatcomprise an operating system, application programs including, forexample, web browser application, email application and/or otherapplications, and data files may be stored. The data storage of thenetwork-enabled computer systems may include electronic information,files, and documents stored in various ways, including, for example, aflat file, indexed file, hierarchical database, relational database,such as a database created and maintained with software from, forexample, Oracle® Corporation, Microsoft® Excel file, Microsoft® Accessfile, or any other storage mechanism.

New customer device 130 and/or existing customer device 140 may furtherinclude, for example, a processor, which may be several processors, asingle processor, or a single device having multiple processors.Although depicted as single elements, it should be appreciated thataccording to one or more embodiments, new customer device 130 and/orexisting customer device 140 may comprise a plurality of new customerdevices 130 and/or existing customer devices 140.

New customer device 130 and/or existing customer device 140 may furtherinclude data storage. The data storage may include electronicinformation, files, and documents stored in various ways, including, forexample, a flat file, indexed file, hierarchical database, relationaldatabase, such as a database created and maintained with software from,for example, Oracle® Corporation, Microsoft® Excel file, Microsoft®Access file, or any other storage mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 1, new customer device provider system 120, newcustomer device 130 and/or existing customer device 140 may include anumber of components. As used herein, the term “component” may beunderstood to refer to computer executable software, firmware, hardware,and/or various combinations thereof. It is noted there where a componentis a software and/or firmware module, the component is configured toaffect the hardware elements of an associated system. It is furthernoted that the components shown and described herein are intended asexamples. The components may be combined, integrated, separated, orduplicated to support various applications. Also, a function describedherein as being performed at a particular component may be performed atone or more other components and by one or more other devices instead ofor in addition to the function performed at the particular component.

As depicted in FIG. 1, system 100 may include new device provider system120. New device provider system 120 may include, for example, a systemassociated with manufacturing and/or providing a new customer device,such as new customer device 130, to a customer. New device providersystem 120 may include an input/output component 122, a unique IDgenerator 124, and/or data storage 126.

Input/output component 122 may include for example, I/O devices, whichmay be configured to provide input and/or output to new device providersystem 120 (e.g., keyboard, mouse, display, speakers, printers, modems,network cards, etc.). Input/output component 122 also may includeantennas, network interfaces that may provide or enable wireless and/orwire line digital and/or analog interface to one or more networks, suchas network 110, over one or more network connections, a power sourcethat provides an appropriate alternating current (AC) or direct current(DC) to power one or more components of new device provider system 120and a bus that allows communication among the various components of newdevice provider system 120. Input/output component 122 may include adisplay, which may include for example output devices, such as aprinter, display screen (e.g., monitor, television, and the like),speakers, projector, and the like.

Unique ID generator 124 may include one or more encoders and/ordecoders, one or more interleavers, one or more circular buffers, one ormore multiplexers and/or de-multiplexers, one or more permuters and/ordepermuters, one or more encryption and/or decryption units, one or moremodulation and/or demodulation units, one or more arithmetic logic unitsand/or their constituent parts, and the like. Unique ID generator maygenerate a unique ID using any of these components. A unique ID may begenerated by hashing customer data, new device data, and/or existingdevice data. For example, a unique ID may be generated using a customeraddress, customer name, customer identifier, existing device number, newdevice number, existing device account number, new device accountnumber, and/or the like.

Data storage 126 may include for example, random access memory (RAM) andread only memory (ROM), which may be configured to access and store dataand information and computer program instructions. Data storage may alsoinclude storage media or other suitable type of memory (e.g., such as,for example, RAM, ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks,floppy disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, any typeof tangible and non-transitory storage medium), where the files thatcomprise an operating system, application programs including, forexample, web browser application, email application and/or otherapplications, and data files may be stored. The data storage of thenetwork-enabled computer systems may include electronic information,files, and documents stored in various ways, including, for example, aflat file, indexed file, hierarchical database, relational database,such as a database created and maintained with software from, forexample, Oracle® Corporation, Microsoft® Excel file, Microsoft® Accessfile, or any other storage mechanism.

Data storage 126 may store new customer device data such as a newcustomer device identifier, a unique ID associated with a new customerdevice, an account number, phone number, address number, and/or the likeassociated with the new customer device, and the like. Data storage 126may store existing customer device data such as existing customer deviceidentifiers, a unique ID associated with an existing customer device, anaccount number, phone number, address number, and/or the like associatedwith the existing customer device, and the like

As depicted in FIG. 1, system 100 may include new customer device 130.New customer device 130 may include, for example, a new customer deviceto be paired via Bluetooth to an existing customer device, such asexisting customer device 140. Customer device 130 may include aninput/output component 132, a microprocessor 134, data storage 136, andan antenna 138. Existing customer device 140 may include an input/outputcomponent 142, a microprocessor 144, data storage 146, and an antenna148

Input/output components 132, 142 may include for example, I/O devices,which may be configured to provide input and/or output to new customerdevice 120 and existing customer device 140, respectively (e.g.,keyboard, mouse, display, speakers, printers, modems, network cards,etc.). Input/output components 132, 142 also may include antennas,network interfaces that may provide or enable wireless and/or wire linedigital and/or analog interface to one or more networks, such as network110, over one or more network connections, a power source that providesan appropriate alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) to powerone or more components of new customer device 130 and/or existingcustomer device 140 and a bus that allows communication among thevarious components of new customer device 130 and/or existing customerdevice 140. Input/output components 132, 142 may include a display,which may include for example output devices, such as a printer, displayscreen (e.g., monitor, television, and the like), speakers, projector,and the like.

Input/output components 132, 142 may include a Bluetooth module orchipset with a Bluetooth transceiver and a chip that may interact withantenna 138, 148. The transceiver may transmit and receive informationvia the antenna and an interface. The chip may include a microprocessorthat stores and processes information specific to a piconet and providesdevice control functionality. Device control functionality may includeconnection creation, frequency-hopping sequence selection and timing,power control, security control, polling, packet processing, and thelike. The device control functionality and other Bluetooth-relatedfunctionality may be supported using a Bluetooth API provided by theplatform associated with the new customer device 130 and/or existingcustomer device 140 (e.g., The Android platform, the iOS platform).Using a Bluetooth API, an application stored on new customer device 130and/or existing customer device 140 (e.g., a banking application, afinancial account application, etc.) or the device may be able to scanfor other Bluetooth devices (e.g., new customer device 130), query thelocal Bluetooth adapter for paired Bluetooth devices, establish RFCOMNIchannels, connect to other devices through service discovery, transferdata to and from other devices, and manage multiple connections. ABluetooth API used in the methods, systems, and devices described hereinmay include an API for Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to providesignificantly lower power consumption and allow devices to communicatewith BLE devices that have low power requirements.

Microprocessors 134, 144 may include one or more processing componentsof new customer device 130 and existing customer device 140,respectively. Microprocessors 134, 144 may include one or more encodersand/or decoders, one or more interleavers, one or more circular buffers,one or more multiplexers and/or de-multiplexers, one or more permutersand/or depermuters, one or more encryption and/or decryption units, oneor more modulation and/or demodulation units, one or more arithmeticlogic units and/or their constituent parts, and the like.Microprocessors 134, 144 may be capable of encrypting and decryptingunique IDs, link keys, shared secret keys, and the like.

Data storage components 136, 146 may include for example, random accessmemory (RAM) and read only memory (ROM), which may be configured toaccess and store data and information and computer program instructions.Data storage may also include storage media or other suitable type ofmemory (e.g., such as, for example, RAM, ROM, programmable read-onlymemory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM),electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magneticdisks, optical disks, floppy disks, hard disks, removable cartridges,flash drives, any type of tangible and non-transitory storage medium),where the files that comprise an operating system, application programsincluding, for example, web browser application, email applicationand/or other applications, and data files may be stored. The datastorage of the network-enabled computer systems may include electronicinformation, files, and documents stored in various ways, including, forexample, a flat file, indexed file, hierarchical database, relationaldatabase, such as a database created and maintained with software from,for example, Oracle® Corporation, Microsoft® Excel file, Microsoft®Access file, or any other storage mechanism.

Data storage 136 may store a unique ID that was placed into data storage136 by the new device provider system 120. Data storage 136 may store agenerated link key or shared secret key. Data storage 136 may store newcustomer device data, such as an address, a customer identifier, adevice identifier, and the like.

Data storage 146 may store a unique ID received from the new deviceprovider system 120 over network 110. Data storage 146 may storeexisting customer device data such as an address, a customer identifier,a device identifier, and the like. Data storage 146 may store a newdevice provider application. A new device provider application maycreate a link between the existing device 140 and the new deviceprovider system 120. A new device provider application may allow acustomer to log into an account associated with a new device providersystem 120.

Data storage 136, 146 also may include various software components tofacilitate the operation of new customer device 130 and existingcustomer device 140, respectively. For example, data storage 136, 146may include an operating system such as, for example, the iOS operatingsystem from Apple, the Google Android operating system, and the WindowsMobile operating system from Microsoft. Data storage 136, 146 may alsoinclude, without limitation, software applications such as mobilebanking applications and financial institution application, an NFCapplication programming interface, and software to enable touchsensitive displays. Data storage 136, 146 may include software stacks orApplication Programming Interfaces (APIs) which allow softwareapplications to be written on top of the software stacks. For example,APIs my include, without limitation, a card emulation API to enable NFCcard emulation mode, a logic link control protocol (LLCP) API forpeer-to-peer communication between mobile devices, a Bluetooth APIsupporting BLE, and a real-time data (RTD) API and a NFC Data ExchangeFormat (NDEF) API for reading/writing.

Antennae 138, 148 may include an NFC, Bluetooth, BLE, and/or otherantenna so that a new customer device 130 and an existing customerdevice 140 may communicate wirelessly with one another.

By way of example, a new customer device 130 may be an electronictransaction card. An electronic transaction card may include anytransaction card that is able to display alerts, notifications, and/orother output to a card holder via a display and/or LED lighting 126and/or receive input to interact with the electronic transaction cardvia, for example, a sensor. Electronic transaction card also may becomposed of various materials that enable the entire exterior surface ofcard to act as a sensor. An electronic transaction card may be able tocommunicate with, for example, a mobile device using RFID, Bluetooth,NFC, WiFi Direct, and/or other related technologies. For example,communications between an electronic transaction card and a mobiledevice may include methods, systems, and devices as described inApplicant's U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/338,423 filed on Jul.23, 2014, published as U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015/0032635, theentire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. Anelectronic transaction card may be able to communicate with EMVterminals via contact points positioned on the exterior of cardconnected to an EMV processor located on or in the electronictransaction card. For example, contact points positioned on the exteriorof the electronic card may be directly connected and adjacent to the EMVprocessor. In another example, the contact points positioned on theexterior of the electronic transaction card may be connected to EMVprocessor using a form of wired connection (e.g., electrical wiring,plastic jumpers, and/or the like) such that the EMV processor may bepositioned at any location in the interior of the card 120 as describedin Applicant's U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/098,830, published asU.S. Patent Publication No. 2016/0307081, the entire contents of whichis incorporated herein by reference.

An electronic transaction card may also include hardware components toprovide contactless payments and/or communications. For example, anelectronic transaction card may include an output layer, an outerprotective layer, potting, application (e.g., a Java Applet),application integration (e.g., Java Applet integration), an EMVprocessor, one or more sensors, a display, a display driver, firmware, abootloader, a microcontroller, one or more antenna, a battery, powermanagement, a flexible PCB, a chassis, and/or card backing asillustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. An EMV processor embedded in theelectronic transaction card may include a number of contacts that may beconnected and activated using an interface device.

FIG. 2 depicts an example electronic transaction card 200. As shown inFIG. 2, electronic transaction card 200 may include a top output layer202. The top output layer may be a film covering, a plastic covering,and/or the like. The top output layer 202 may be constructed ofscratch-resistant and/or scratch-proof materials. Materials that may beused as a top outer layer 202 may include polyvinyl chloride (PVC),polylactic acid (PLA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS),polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polyethylene terephthalateglycol-modified (PET-G), polyester film or plastic sheet (e.g., Mylar),polycarbonate (PC), and/or the like. An electronic transaction card 200may further include a top protective layer 204, such as a clearscratch-resistant coating and/or scratch-proof material to protect theunderlying components. For example, various scratch-resistant materialsinclude materials coated with a scratch resistant chemical coating, suchas a UV curable chemical coating. Scratch-proof materials may include amineral glass, thin film alloys, ITO, ZnO, a sapphire glass material,PVC, PET, BoPET (e.g., Mylar), polyvinylidene fluoride (e.g., Kynar),polyvinylidene difluoride, PC and/or PET-G.

An electronic transaction card may include a potting 206 or filler epoxyaround the electrical components to provide strength and/or waterresistance. A potting 206 may include a light guide, which may beconstructed of optical grade materials such as acrylic, resin,polycarbonate, epoxies, and/or glass. Potting 206 may also includeinjection molding, such as over molding and/or multi-shot to encapsulatethe internal components of card 200. For example, injection molding mayinclude ABS, thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), thermoplastic vulcanizate(TPV), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), PET, polycarbonates (PC), coldlamination of the outer films to the body of the card using thermoactiveadhesives, hot lamination of the outer films to the body of the cardusing thermoactive adhesives, and/or silicone. An electronic transactioncard 200 may further include a Java Applet 208 and Java Appletintegration 210. Although a Java Applet 208 is used through thespecification, any other type of code application may be used. Moreover,although Java Applet integration 210 is used throughout thisspecification, any type of interface may be used to allow themicrocontroller to interact with the EMV processor. A Java Applet 208may include code that executes payments, such as payment made using anEMV processor. A Java Applet 208 may include account-provider specificcode to execute display functionality specific to the account provider.Java Applet integration 210 may include coded interfaces to allow themicrocontroller to interact with the EMV processor 212.

An EMV processor 212 may include and/or be connected to a number ofcontacts that may interact with a terminal configured to read datastored on an EMV processor 212. During an EMV transaction, applicationcryptograms may be used to send and receive data packets between theelectronic transaction card 200 and a terminal, such as a merchantterminal, which may be similar to a terminal included at a merchant 150.For example, data packets may include user authentication informationwhich an acquisition system and/or issuing financial institution may useto authenticate a transaction card 200 during a transaction. Variouscryptographic protocols and/or methods may be used in this datatransmission and reception process. Moreover, during a transactionissuing financial institutions and/or acquisition systems may returnscript commands to the EMV processor 212 via a terminal. These scriptcommands and/or data packets may be transmitted between parties over anetwork. Script commands may be used, for example, to blocktransactions, change transaction data stored on the EMV processor (e.g.,transaction history, account limits, account balance, and/or the like).Offline data authentication may also take place using, for examplepublic key cryptography to perform payment data authentication. Forexample, offline data authentication may use Static Data Authentication(SDA), Dynamic Data Authentication (DDA), and/or Combined DataAuthentication (CDA).

Electronic transaction card 200 may also include one or more sensors 214to receive input. Sensors 214 may include an activation sensor and/or anoperation sensor, which may be combined and/or separate. An activationsensor may activate the electronic transaction card 200 and an operationsensor may instruct the electronic transaction card 200 to perform anaction based on the received input. An activation sensor may require asecurity input, such as a biometric input (e.g., fingerprint, eye scan,voice recognition, and/or the like), input indicative of a paired mobiledevice (e.g., BLE and/or Bluetooth pairing), input indicative of apassword (e.g., a password received via a sensor on the electronictransaction card and/or a password received on a paired mobile device),and/or the like. An operation sensor may change a display 216 based onreceived input, conduct a transaction via, for example an EMV processor212 and/or contactless payment technologies based on received input,attempt a pairing of a card 200 and a mobile device, and/or the like.

By way of example, a sensor 214 may include a capacitive touch sensor, apiezoelectric sensor, an inductive sensor, load cells, a light sensor, atemperature sensor, a resistive touchscreen, including for example ananalogue matrix real (AMR) sensors, and/or the like. Sensors 214 mayinclude accelerometers and/or photo sensors to detect motion input.

Although the sensor 214 is depicted at a particular spot in thetransaction card 200, a sensor 214 may be placed at any portion of thecard to detect, for example, touch, light, heat, energy, and/or thelike. For example, a sensor may be placed around the outer edges of anelectronic transaction card 200 or at any spot within the electronictransaction card 200. Sensor 214 also may include the entire exteriorsurface of transaction card 200.

A display 216 may be provided within the transaction card 200. Althoughthe display as shown includes, for example, a dot matrix display, anumber of other display options may be included in the transaction card200. For example, lighting, such as LED lighting, OLED lighting, electroluminescent (EL) displays and/or the like, may be used as displaycomponents. Display components may also include electronic paper,Mirasol™, TF LCD, Quantum Dot Display, and/or the like. Where lightingis used, various lighting technologies may be used to create a displaythat indicates a number of things to a cardholder. For example, edgelighting may be used to create a specific visual component in thedisplay. A number of LED or OLED lights may be used to illuminatevarious portions of the display in order to output information to a cardholder.

By way of example, a display 216 may be illuminated using a particularcolor to relay to the cardholder balance information of an accountassociated with a transaction card, such as an RGB LED matrix paneland/or RGB LED displays. A red light display may indicate that theaccount balance is within a first predetermined dollar amount or a firstpredetermined percentage of the total spending limit, a particularbudget, a particular budget category, and/or the like. A yellow lightdisplay may indicate that the account balance is within a secondpredetermined dollar amount or a second predetermined percentage of thetotal spending limit, a particular budget, a particular budget category,and/or the like. A green light display may indicate that the accountbalance is within a third predetermined dollar amount or a thirdpredetermined percentage of the total spending limit, a particularbudget, a particular budget category, and/or the like. Various colorsand or number of categories may be used to output this information to acardholder. A display 216 may include other display component, such as,for example, LCD technology, ePaper technology (e.g., e-ink), vacuumflorescent display technology, and/or the like.

By way of example, a display may include a number of LED or OLED lightsthat may be lit in a particular pattern to indicate transaction and/oraccount information. For example, a display may include a circle,semicircle, or other shape of LED or OLED lighting, where the number oflights illuminated indicates a dollar amount or a percentage of thetotal spending limit, a particular budget, a particular budget category,and/or the like.

A display may be altered, for example, depending on which account orcard is selected to be used. For example, where electronic transactioncard 200 includes a debit account, a first credit account, and a secondcredit account, display components 216 may reflect the card number,security code, expiration date, and/or other necessary data indicativeof the account (e.g., second credit account) that is being used toexecute a transaction. A display may be altered when, for example, anelectronic card 200 receives new card data and/or new account data froman account holder's mobile device via a wireless connection. Forexample, where an account has been marked as associated with fraudulentactivity, an account holder and/or issuing financial institution maydeactivate the card associated with the account and issue a new card.Accordingly, new card data may be transmitted from the issuing financialinstitution to, for example, an account holder's mobile device via anetwork, and then from an account holder's mobile device to electroniccard 200 via a wireless connection. A display may also be altered whenelectronic card 200 activates a new account. For example, when anaccount holder applies for a new account (e.g., a new credit cardaccount, a new checking account, and/or the like), if approved, newaccount data may be transmitted to electronic card 200. New account datamay be received at an account holder's mobile device from an issuingfinancial institution via a network (e.g., using a mobile application,mobile optimized website, and/or the like). New account data may then betransmitted from an account holder's mobile device to electronic card200 via a wireless connection (e.g., BLE, RFID, NFC, WiFi, and/or thelike) or a contact connection (e.g., using a terminal in contact with anEMV processor and/or other microchip).

As described herein, card 200 may be fully or partially pre-loaded withaccount and/or card data. For example, an applet and placeholder data(or actual data) may be stored within electronic card 200. Accordingly,when an account holder wishes to activate a new account (e.g., accountholder who maintains a first credit account may wish to apply for asecond credit account), the new account data and/or activation signalmay be received from an account holder's mobile device via a wirelessconnection or a contact connection (e.g., using a terminal in contactwith an EMV processor and/or other microchip) and a new account and/orcard may be activated and able to be displayed on electronic card 200.

An electronic transaction card 200 may include a display driver 218 thattranslates instructions from a microcontroller 224 into display imagesto be displayed using display components 216. A display driver 218 mayinclude an integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, and/or the likethat provides an interface function between the display and themicrocontroller 224. A display driver 218 may include memory (e.g., RAM,Flash, ROM, and/or the like) and/or firmware that includes font displaydata.

A electronic transaction card 200 may include firmware 220 and/or abootloader 222. A bootloader 222 may include code to be executed as anelectronic card 200 is activated and before any operating system,firmware, or other code is executed on the electronic transaction card200. A bootloader may be activated via a sensor 214 and energy storagecomponent 228 of the electronic transaction card 200. Bootloader 222 maybe activated and/or load an application and/or program upon detectionthat card 200 has been inserted into a terminal, charger, and/or thelike. Bootloader 222 may be activated using only one technique describedherein, using multiple techniques described herein, and/or using a cardholder or card provider selected technique(s) described herein.Bootloader 222 may only be active during a short interval after the card200 powers up. Card 200 may also be activated using program code thatmay be flashed directly to a microprocessor such as microcontroller 224,EMV processor 212, and/or the like. Card 200 may not use a bootloader222 but instead may cycle between a sleep state and an active stateusing program code and/or memory. An electronic transaction card 200 mayinclude a microcontroller 224 and an antenna 226. Antenna 226 mayinclude, for example, a loop antenna, a fractal antenna, and/or thelike. Antenna 226 may transmit to and receive signals from a mobiledevice, such as mobile device 140, to conduct transactions and displaydata as described throughout the specification. Microcontroller 224 maycommunicate with EMV processor 212, Java Applet 208, Java Appletintegration 210, sensor(s) 214, power management 230, antenna 226,energy storage component 228, display 216, display driver 218, firmware220, bootloader 222, and/or any other component of electronictransaction card 200. Microcontroller 224 may control the cardoperations to conduct transactions and/or display data as describedthroughout this specification.

Electronic transaction card 200 may include an energy storage component228. Although energy storage component is depicted as a singlecomponent, energy storage component 228 may include a series of energystorage components. By way of example, energy storage component 228 mayinclude a lithium polymer battery, a lithium-metal battery,lithium-ceramic battery, and/or any other type of battery. Energystorage component 228 may be constructed out of rigid materials, semiflexible materials, and/or flexible materials. Energy storage component228 may provide power to card components contained within electronictransaction card 200. Energy storage component 228 may be a combinebattery/potting component to support electronic transaction card 200.

Electronic transaction card 200 may include a power management component230 that may manage the charging and discharging of energy storagecomponent 228. Power management component 230 may convert voltage to apredetermined level in order to operate electronic transaction card 200as discussed throughout the specification. Power management component230 and/or energy storage component 228 may include, for example, solarpower cells to convert solar energy into an electrical current within asolar panel. Power management component 230 and/or energy storagecomponent 228 may include connections to sensors 214 to receive inputand activate electronic transaction card 200 (e.g., motion input,thermal input, manual input, touch input, and/or the like).

A flexible printed circuit board (PCB) 232 may be included in electronictransaction card 200. A flexible PCB 232 may include a PCB mounted in aflexible plastic substrate, such as for example, a polyimide, polyetherether ketone, and/or a transparent conductive polyester film. A flexiblePCB 232 may be printed, using, for example screen printing, 3D printing,and/or the like, to arrange circuits on a material, such as polyester.Flexible PCB 232 may include electronic components and connections thatpower electronic transaction card 200. Flexible PCB 232 may controland/or provide integration between the components of card 200. Forexample, flexible PCB 232 mechanically supports and electronicallyconnects the electronic components of card 200 using, for example,conductive tracks, pads, and/or other features. PCB 232 may be combinedwith an energy component (e.g., battery component, power component,etc.) as described in Applicant's U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/098,935 filed on Apr. 14, 2016, published as U.S. Patent PublicationNo. 2016/0308371, which is incorporated by reference. A flexible PCB mayalso provide antenna support. A flexible printed circuit (FPC) may beused in place of or in conjunction with flexible PCB 232. FPC 232 may befabricated with photolithographic technology, such as light exposure ofa film material laminated to substrate and/or conductive layers. FPC 232may be printed, silkscreened, and/or the like. FPC 232 may be used as astructural member for the electronic components of card 200 and/or forthe card system as a whole 200.

Electronic transaction card 200 may include a chassis 234 as a frame orsupporting structure. Chassis 234 may be a mount for a flexible PCB 232and may be constructed out of flexible or semi-flexible material aswell. Chassis 234 may be constructed out of a number of materials,including but not limited to, PVC, PC, ABS, styrene, polycarbonate,polyester, PET, any material that is easily molded, deposited, or lasercut (e.g., organic or inorganic material such as paper, plastic, and/orengineered ceramics), and/or the like. Chassis 234 may be constructedout of a conductive material. Chassis 234 may increase the rigidity ofelectronic transaction card 200 to prevent damage. Chassis 234 may alsobe used to detect if electronic transaction card 200 is being held byincluding sensors 214 around chassis 234. Where chassis 234 isconstructed out of a conductive material, a dielectric constant ofchassis 234 and/or card 200 may be monitored to detect handling of card200. A chassis 234 may be used to detect handling of card 200 via astrain gauge. Chassis 234 may be included within or separate from a cardbacking 236. Card backing 236 may include a magnetic stripe that may beread using a magnetic stripe reader. A magnetic stripe may store tracksof data that are used to conduct a transaction using an electronictransaction card 200. The tracks of data may include a first trackcapable of storing alphanumeric characters as well as symbols (e.g., ?,!, &, #, and/or the like), such as account numbers, account holder name,expiration data, security data, and/or other account and/or card relateddata. The tracks of data may include a second track capable of storingnumeric characters such as account numbers, expiration data, securitydata, and/or other account and/or card related data. The tracks of datamay include a third track of data capable of storing numeric characterssuch as an account number, a PIN, a country code, a currency code, anauthorization amount, a balance amount, and/or other account and/or cardrelated data.

A magnetic stripe may be dynamically altered. For example, an electronictransaction card 200 that is paired to a mobile device via, for example,Bluetooth, BLE, RFID, and/or other wireless technologies, may receivenew track data. The new track data may be unformatted, encrypted,encoded, and/or the like when the new track data is transmitted from themobile device to the electronic transaction card 200. Upon receipt ofthe new track data, the new track data may be routed to amicroprocessor, such as EMV processor 212 and/or microcontroller 224.EMV processor 212 and/or microcontroller 224 may convert, decrypt,and/or decode the received new track data to ensure compliance with anystandards. Once decrypted, decoded, and/or formatted, the new track datamay be save on the tracks of the magnetic stripe. The magnetic stripemay be deleted and then the new track data may be recorded onto thetracks. In this manner, track data stored on a magnetic stripe may bealtered at any time upon pairing an electronic transaction card 200 witha mobile device.

Card backing 236 may be made of similar material to that of the outputlayer 202 and/or the top protective layer 204. Card backing 236 may bemade out of a plastic material.

Although the components of electronic transaction card 200 areillustrated in a particular fashion, these components may be combinedand or placed throughout an electronic transaction card 200 in anymanner, such as those depicted in FIG. 7.

For example, FIG. 3 illustrates an electronic transaction card having anoutput layer 302 which may be similar to output layer 202; an outerprotective layer 304 which may be similar to outer protective layer 204;potting 306 which may be similar to potting 206; Java Applets 308 whichmay be similar to Java Applets 208; Java Applet integration 310 whichmay be similar to Java Applet integration 210; an EMV processor 312which may be similar to EMV processor 212; a sensor 314 which may besimilar to sensor 214; display 316 which may be similar to display 216;display driver 318 which may be similar to display driver 218; firmware320 which may be similar to firmware 220; bootloader 322 which may besimilar to bootloader 222; microcontroller 324 which may be similar tomicrocontroller 224; antenna 326 which may be similar to antenna 226;energy storage component 328 which may be similar to energy storagecomponent 228; power management 330 which may be similar to powermanagement 230; a flexible PCB 332 which may be similar to flexible PCB232; chassis 334 which may be similar to chassis 234; and/or cardbacking 336 which may be similar to card backing 236.

In the context of an electronic transaction card, software applicationsstored in data storage may include, for example mobile bankingapplications and applications associated with an electronic transactioncard. Applications may include card on/off features that allow acardholder associated with a mobile device, similar to existing customerdevice 140, to enable and disable a transaction card. For example, acard holder may use, for example, a mobile banking application stored onan existing customer device 140 to disable and/or enable accountsassociated with an electronic transaction card. A mobile bankingapplication may include, for example, an application as displayed onmobile device 420 in FIG. 4. In this example, an electronic transactioncard may have account data pre-stored on the electronic transaction cardto associate a number of different accounts with the electronictransaction card (e.g., debit card, credit card, prepaid card, and/orthe like). If a card holder has a credit account established and desiresto establish a debit card associated with the electronic transactioncard, the card holder may use a mobile device and/or electronictransaction card to activate the inactive debit account on theelectronic transaction card.

FIG. 4 illustrates a system associated with the connection between anexisting customer device, a mobile device, and a new customer device, anelectronic transaction card. The example system 400 in FIG. 4 may enablea mobile device 420 storing a mobile banking application, for example,to receive a unique ID from the backend system associated with themobile banking application. As described herein, the unique ID may beused to automatically generate a Bluetooth connection 430 between theelectronic transaction card 410 and mobile device 420. As describedherein, for example, data may be transmitted and received by electronictransaction card 410 via antenna 414. Data may be received and/ortransmitted using, for example a mobile banking application thatmaintains and/or creates a secure connection with a financialinstitution to send and/or receive data related to an account associatedwith the financial institution. For example, a mobile bankingapplication may include send and/or receive data related to a creditaccount, a debit account, a prepaid account, a loyalty account, arewards account, and/or the like. Data received at electronictransaction card 410 may be stored on microchip 412 and/or may bedisplayed via display 416.

FIG. 5 illustrates a system associated with the automatic pairing of anexisting customer device and a new customer device. The example system500 in FIG. 5 may enable a new customer device provider system, forexample, to provide services to its customers, and may include providingunique IDs, transaction card data, account data, and/or any other datato a mobile device that may in turn aid in the automated connection ofthe existing customer device to the new customer device.

As shown in FIG. 5, system 500 may include an existing customer device,such as mobile device 502, a network 504, a front-end controlled domain506, a back-end controlled domain 512, and a backend 518. Front-endcontrolled domain 506 may include one or more load balancers 508 and oneor more web servers 510. Back-end controlled domain 512 may include oneor more load balancers 514 and one or more application servers 516.

Mobile device 502 may be a network-enabled computer. As referred toherein, a network-enabled computer may include, but is not limited to:e.g., any computer device, or communications device including, e.g., aserver, a network appliance, a personal computer (PC), a workstation, amobile device, a phone, a handheld PC, a personal digital assistant(PDA), a thin client, a fat client, an Internet browser, or otherdevice. The one or more network-enabled computers of the example system500 may execute one or more software applications to enable, forexample, network communications.

Mobile device 502 may include an iPhone, iPod, iPad from Apple® or anyother mobile device running Apple's iOS operating system, any devicerunning Google's Android® operating system, including for example,Google's wearable device, Google Glass, any device running Microsoft'sWindows® Mobile operating system, and/or any other smartphone or likewearable mobile device. Mobile device 502 also may be similar toexisting customer device 140 as shown and described in FIG. 1.

Network 504 may be one or more of a wireless network, a wired network,or any combination of a wireless network and a wired network. Forexample, network 504 may include one or more of a fiber optics network,a passive optical network, a cable network, an Internet network, asatellite network, a wireless LAN, a Global System for MobileCommunication (GSM), a Personal Communication Service (PCS), a PersonalArea Networks, (PAN), D-AMPS, Wi-Fi, Fixed Wireless Data, IEEE 802.11b,802.15.1, 802.11n, and 802.11g or any other wired or wireless networkfor transmitting and receiving a data signal.

In addition, network 504 may include, without limitation, telephonelines, fiber optics, IEEE Ethernet 902.3, a wide area network (WAN), alocal area network (LAN) or a global network such as the Internet. Also,network 504 may support an Internet network, a wireless communicationnetwork, a cellular network, or the like, or any combination thereof.Network 504 may further include one network, or any number of exampletypes of networks mentioned above, operating as a stand-alone network orin cooperation with each other. Network 504 may utilize one or moreprotocols of one or more network elements to which they arecommunicatively couples. Network 504 may translate to or from otherprotocols to one or more protocols of network devices. Although network504 is depicted as a single network, it should be appreciated thataccording to one or more embodiments, network 504 may comprise aplurality of interconnected networks, such as, for example, theInternet, a service provider's network, a cable television network,corporate networks, and home networks.

Front-end controlled domain 506 may be implemented to provide securityfor backend 518. Load balancer(s) 508 may distribute workloads acrossmultiple computing resources, such as, for example computers, a computercluster, network links, central processing units or disk drives. Invarious embodiments, load balancer(s) 510 may distribute workloadsacross, for example, web server(s) 516 and/or backend 518 systems. Loadbalancing aims to optimize resource use, maximize throughput, minimizeresponse time, and avoid overload of any one of the resources. Usingmultiple components with load balancing instead of a single componentmay increase reliability through redundancy. Load balancing is usuallyprovided by dedicated software or hardware, such as a multilayer switchor a Domain Name System (DNS) server process.

Load balancer(s) 508 may include software that monitoring the port whereexternal clients, such as, for example, mobile device 502, connect toaccess various services of a financial institution, for example. Loadbalancer(s) 508 may forward requests to one of the application servers516 and/or backend 518 servers, which may then reply to load balancer508. This may allow load balancer(s) 508 to reply to mobile device 502without mobile device 502 ever knowing about the internal separation offunctions. It also may prevent mobile devices from contacting backendservers directly, which may have security benefits by hiding thestructure of the internal network and preventing attacks on backend 518or unrelated services running on other ports, for example.

A variety of scheduling algorithms may be used by load balancer(s) 508to determine which backend server to send a request to. Simplealgorithms may include, for example, random choice or round robin. Loadbalancers 508 also may account for additional factors, such as aserver's reported load, recent response times, up/down status(determined by a monitoring poll of some kind), number of activeconnections, geographic location, capabilities, or how much traffic ithas recently been assigned.

Load balancers 508 may be implemented in hardware and/or software. Loadbalancer(s) 308 may implement numerous features, including, withoutlimitation: asymmetric loading; Priority activation: SSL Offload andAcceleration; Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack protection;HTTP/HTTPS compression; TCP offloading; TCP buffering; direct serverreturn; health checking; HTTP/HTTPS caching; content filtering;HTTP/HTTPS security; priority queuing; rate shaping; content-awareswitching; client authentication; programmatic traffic manipulation;firewall; intrusion prevention systems.

Web server(s) 510 may include hardware (e.g., one or more computers)and/or software (e.g., one or more applications) that deliver webcontent that can be accessed by, for example a client device (e.g.,mobile device 502) through a network (e.g., network 504), such as theInternet. In various examples, web servers, may deliver web pages,relating to, for example, online banking applications and the like, toclients (e.g., mobile device 502). Web server(s) 510 may use, forexample, a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP/HTTPS or sHTTP) tocommunicate with mobile device 502. The web pages delivered to clientdevice may include, for example, HTML documents, which may includeimages, style sheets and scripts in addition to text content.

A user agent, such as, for example, a web browser, web crawler, ornative mobile application, may initiate communication by making arequest for a specific resource using HTTP/HTTPS and web server 510 mayrespond with the content of that resource or an error message if unableto do so. The resource may be, for example a file on stored on backend518. Web server(s) 510 also may enable or facilitate receiving contentfrom mobile device 502 so mobile device 502 may be able to, for example,submit web forms, including uploading of files.

Web server(s) also may support server-side scripting using, for example,Active Server Pages (ASP), PHP, or other scripting languages.Accordingly, the behavior of web server(s) 510 can be scripted inseparate files, while the actual server software remains unchanged.

Load balancers 514 may be similar to load balancers 508 as describedabove.

Application server(s) 516 may include hardware and/or software that isdedicated to the efficient execution of procedures (e.g., programs,routines, scripts) for supporting its applied applications. Applicationserver(s) 516 may comprise one or more application server frameworks,including, for example, Java application servers (e.g., Java platform,Enterprise Edition (Java EE), the .NET framework from Microsoft®, PHPapplication servers, and the like). The various application serverframeworks may contain a comprehensive service layer model. Also,application server(s) 516 may act as a set of components accessible to,for example, a financial institution, or other entity implementingsystem 500, through an API defined by the platform itself. For Webapplications, these components may be performed in, for example, thesame running environment as web server(s) 510, and application servers516 may support the construction of dynamic pages. Application server(s)516 also may implement services, such as, for example, clustering,fail-over, and load-balancing. In various embodiments, where applicationserver(s) 516 are Java application servers, the web server(s) 516 maybehaves like an extended virtual machine for running applications,transparently handling connections to databases associated with backend518 on one side, and, connections to the Web client (e.g., mobile device502) on the other.

Backend 518 may include hardware and/or software that enables thebackend services of, for example, a financial institution, merchant, orother entity that maintains a distributed system similar to system 500.For example, backend 518 may include, a system of record, online bankingapplications, a rewards platform, a payments platform, a lendingplatform, including the various services associated with, for example,auto and home lending platforms, a statement processing platform, one ormore platforms that provide mobile services, one or more platforms thatprovide online services, a card provisioning platform, a general ledgersystem, and/or a location system, which may include additionalcapabilities, such as transaction card data generation, transactionprocessing, and/or transmission of account and/or transaction data.Backend 518 may include a system associated with a device provider, suchas an electronics device provider.

Backend 518 may be associated with various databases, including accountdatabases that maintain, for example, cardholder information (e.g.,demographic data, credit data, cardholder profile data, and the like),transaction card databases that maintain transaction card data (e.g.,transaction history, account balance, spending limit, budget categories,budget spending, budget limits, and the like), and the like. Backend 518also may be associated with one or more servers that enable the variousservices provided by system 500. Backend 518 may enable a deviceprovider to implement various functions associated with the automatedpairing of an existing customer device with a new customer device asshown and described herein.

For example, FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate methods associated with theautomated pairing of an existing customer device with a new customerdevice. Method 600 may begin at block 602. At block 604 a unique ID maybe generated by a device provider system. A unique ID may be generatedusing existing data, such as a mobile device number, a customer name, acustomer address, a customer account number, a device identifier, andthe like. A unique ID may be generated using a random number generator.A unique ID may be a hashed version of any single piece or combinationof existing data. Device provider system may store the unique ID withinthe device provider system.

At block 606, device provider system also may provide the unique ID to anew customer device prior to providing the new customer device to acustomer. A unique ID may be stored within secure storage, such as asecure element, of the new customer device. The new customer device maythen be associated with a specific customer, for example, by linking newdevice data (e.g., new device identifier, new device number, and thelike) with customer data (e.g., customer name, address, account number,and the like). The new customer device may then be provided to thecustomer.

At block 608, a customer may log into an account via a webpage or mobileapp on the existing customer device. The new device provider system mayreceive the log-in data associated with this log-in from the existingcustomer device. Upon receiving the log-in data the device providersystem may perform a search to identify any new customer devicesassociated with the log-in data. For example, the log-in data mayindicate a specific customer or customer account. The device providersystem may look up the customer or customer account and search for anynew devices associated with the account. If the device provider systemfinds a new device associated with the account, the device providersystem will retrieve the unique ID associated with the new device andprepare it for transmission. In preparation for transmission, the deviceprovider system may encrypt or hash the unique ID.

At block 610, the device provider system may transmit the unique ID andother data associated with the new device to the existing customerdevice associated with the log-in request. Other data associated withthe new device may include a device ID or account ID, device type, modelnumber, and the like. The existing customer device may receive theunique ID and other data associated with the new device and in response,in block 612, generate an advertising packet. The advertising packet maybe designed to search for or solicit a response from a specific deviceassociated with the unique ID. The advertising packet may include dataassociated with the new device. The advertising packet may betransmitted along advertising channels. The advertising packet may betransmitted via Bluetooth.

At block 614, the existing customer device may receive a response to theadvertising packet. For example, the advertising packet may have locatedthe new device within proximity to the existing device. The new devicemay have received the advertising packet via Bluetooth technologies. Thenew device may have generated a response to the received advertisingpacket. The response generated by the new device may include the uniqueID stored on the new device and/or some form of encrypted unique IDstored on the new device. The new device may then transmit the responsethat is received by the existing device over Bluetooth channels.

At block 616, the existing device may authenticate the new device usingthe unique ID that was received in response to the advertising packetand the unique ID received from the device provider system that may bestored within the existing device. The authentication may includedecrypting or decoding the unique IDs to compare the unique IDs. If thecomparison indicates that the unique IDs are identical, a secureBluetooth connection may be made between the new customer device and theexisting customer device. In block 618, a secure Bluetooth connectionmay be made by generating a link key or a shared secret key using theunique ID. For example, the unique ID or a portion thereof may be usedto generate a new link key that may be stored within the existing deviceand new device to ensure pairing between the devices when they arewithin range of one another.

The method may end at block 620.

Method 700 may begin at block 702. At block 704 a unique ID may begenerated by a device provider system. A unique ID may be generatedusing existing data, such as a mobile device number, a customer name, acustomer address, a customer account number, a device identifier, andthe like. A unique ID may be generated using a random number generator.A unique ID may be a hashed version of any single piece or combinationof existing data. Device provider system may store the unique ID withinthe device provider system.

At block 706, device provider system also may provide the unique ID to anew customer device prior to providing the new customer device to acustomer. A unique ID may be stored within secure storage, such as asecure element, of the new customer device. The new customer device maythen be associated with a specific customer, for example, by linking newdevice data (e.g., new device identifier, new device number, and thelike) with customer data (e.g., customer name, address, account number,and the like). The new customer device may then be provided to thecustomer.

At block 708, a customer may log into an account via a webpage or mobileapp on the existing customer device. The new device provider system mayreceive the log-in data associated with this log-in from the existingcustomer device. Upon receiving the log-in data the device providersystem may perform a search to identify any new customer devicesassociated with the log-in data. For example, the log-in data mayindicate a specific customer or customer account. The device providersystem may look up the customer or customer account and search for anynew devices associated with the account. If the device provider systemfinds a new device associated with the account, the device providersystem will retrieve the unique ID associated with the new device andprepare it for transmission. In preparation for transmission, the deviceprovider system may encrypt or hash the unique ID.

At block 710, the device provider system may transmit the unique ID andother data associated with the new device to the existing customerdevice associated with the log-in request. Other data associated withthe new device may include a device ID or account ID, device type, modelnumber, and the like. The existing customer device may receive theunique ID and other data associated with the new device and in response,in block 712, generate an advertising packet. The advertising packet maybe designed to search for a specific device associated with the uniqueID. The advertising packet may include the received unique ID or anencrypted version of the received unique ID. The advertising packet mayinclude data associated with the new device. The advertising packet maybe transmitted along advertising channels. The advertising packet may betransmitted via Bluetooth.

At block 714, the new device may authenticate the existing device usingthe unique ID that was received in the advertising packet and the uniqueID stored within the new device. For example, the advertising packet mayhave located the new device within proximity to the existing device. Thenew device may have received the advertising packet via Bluetoothtechnologies. The new device may perform an authentication based on theinformation in the received advertising packet. The authentication mayinclude decrypting or decoding the unique IDs to compare the unique IDs.If the comparison indicates that the unique IDs are identical, a secureBluetooth connection may be made between the new customer device and theexisting customer device.

At block 716, the new device may generate a response to the advertisingpacket based on the authentication performed on the new device. Theresponse may include an indication that the connection between the newdevice and existing device has been authenticated. The response mayinclude a link key or portion thereof generated by the new device inresponse to a proper authentication. A link key may be used to send andreceive data in a secure manner over a Bluetooth connection. The newdevice may then transmit the response over Bluetooth channels. Theexisting device may receive the response to the advertising packet viaBluetooth technologies.

In block 718, a secure Bluetooth connection may be made using the linkkey. The method may end at block 720.

The present disclosure is not to be limited in terms of the particularembodiments described in this application, which are intended asillustrations of various aspects. Many modifications and variations canbe made without departing from its spirit and scope, as may be apparent.Functionally equivalent methods and apparatuses within the scope of thedisclosure, in addition to those enumerated herein, may be apparent fromthe foregoing representative descriptions. Such modifications andvariations are intended to fall within the scope of the appendedrepresentative claims. The present disclosure is to be limited only bythe terms of the appended representative claims, along with the fullscope of equivalents to which such representative claims are entitled.It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for thepurpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intendedto be limiting.

With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singularterms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from theplural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as isappropriate to the context and/or application. The varioussingular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sakeof clarity.

It may be understood by those within the art that, in general, termsused herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of theappended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term“including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” theterm “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term“includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,”etc.). It may be further understood by those within the art that if aspecific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such anintent may be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence ofsuch recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid tounderstanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of theintroductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claimrecitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed toimply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinitearticles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing suchintroduced claim recitation to embodiments containing only one suchrecitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases“one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or“an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should be interpreted to mean “at least one”or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articlesused to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specificnumber of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, suchrecitation should be interpreted to mean at least the recited number(e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without othermodifiers, means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations).Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “atleast one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a constructionis intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understandthe convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C”would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone,C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A,B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a conventionanalogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general sucha construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the artwould understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one ofA, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have Aalone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and Ctogether, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It may be furtherunderstood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive wordand/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in thedescription, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplatethe possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, orboth terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” may be understood toinclude the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”

The foregoing description, along with its associated embodiments, hasbeen presented for purposes of illustration only. It is not exhaustiveand does not limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Thoseskilled in the art may appreciate from the foregoing description thatmodifications and variations are possible in light of the aboveteachings or may be acquired from practicing the disclosed embodiments.For example, the steps described need not be performed in the samesequence discussed or with the same degree of separation. Likewisevarious steps may be omitted, repeated, or combined, as necessary, toachieve the same or similar objectives. Accordingly, the invention isnot limited to the above-described embodiments, but instead is definedby the appended claims in light of their full scope of equivalents.

In the preceding specification, various preferred embodiments have beendescribed with references to the accompanying drawings. It may, however,be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto,and additional embodiments may be implemented, without departing fromthe broader scope of the invention as set forth in the claims thatfollow. The specification and drawings are accordingly to be regarded asan illustrative rather than restrictive sense.

What is claimed:
 1. A method for assisting automated connections betweencustomer devices, the method comprising: generating, by a processor of adevice provider system, a first unique ID for a new customer device;storing, in memory associated with the device provider system, the firstunique ID; providing, by the device provider system, the first unique IDto the new customer device to associate the first unique ID with the newcustomer device; receiving, at the device provider system, log-in dataassociated with a customer account; determining, with the processor,that the new customer device is associated with the customer account;and transmitting, by the device provider system, a second unique ID toan existing customer device associated with the customer account toinitiate an automated communication link between the new customer deviceand the existing customer device.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein thefirst unique ID, the second unique ID, or both are generated usingexisting data comprising one or more of a mobile device number, acustomer name, a customer address, a customer account number, or adevice identifier.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:transmitting, by the processor, the second unique ID to a financialinstitution to initiate communications between the financial institutionand the existing customer device.
 4. The method of claim 3, furthercomprising: receiving, at a load balancer of the device provider system,financial data from the financial institution; and masking, with theload balancer, a network structure associated with the device providersystem to secure the communications between the financial institutionand the existing customer device.
 5. The method of claim 4, whereinmasking the network structure further comprises monitoring an accesspoint of the network structure based on a scheduling protocol.
 6. Amethod for assisting an automated connection between an existingcustomer device and a new customer device, comprising: generating, bythe existing customer device, an advertisement packet including a firstunique ID, the advertising packet used to search for the new customerdevice associated with a second unique ID; transmitting, by the existingcustomer device, the advertisement packet to the new customer device;receiving, at the existing customer device, a response from the newcustomer device including the second unique ID; determining, by theexisting customer device, a match between the second unique ID and thefirst unique ID; and establishing, by the existing customer device, acommunication link between the new customer device and the existingcustomer device based on the match.
 7. The method of claim 6, whereinestablishing the communication link between the new customer device andthe existing customer device comprises generating a link key associatedwith the second unique ID.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the linkkey is stored on the existing customer device and the new customerdevice to secure a communication link between the customer devices. 9.The method of claim 7, further comprising generating an encryptedAsynchronous Connection-Less (ACL) link based on the link key to securethe communication link between the new customer device and the existingcustomer device.
 10. The method of claim 6, wherein determining, by theexisting customer device, the match between the second unique ID and thefirst unique ID comprises decrypting or decoding the second unique IDand the first unique ID.
 11. The method of claim 6, further comprising:transmitting, by the existing customer device, the first unique ID to afinancial institution to initiate communication between the financialinstitution and the existing customer device.
 12. The method of claim11, further comprising: receiving, at a load balancer of a deviceprovider system, financial data from the financial institution; andmasking, with the load balancer, a network structure associated with thedevice provider system to secure the communications between thefinancial institution and the existing customer device.
 13. The methodof claim 12, wherein masking further comprises monitoring an accesspoint of the network structure based on a scheduling protocol.
 14. Amethod for assisting automated connection between an existing customerdevice and a new customer device, comprising: receiving, at the newcustomer device, a first unique ID; receiving, at the new customerdevice, an advertisement packet from an existing device, the advertisingpacket including a second unique ID; determining, by the new customerdevice, that the first unique ID and the second unique ID match;transmitting, from the new customer device, a response to the existingcustomer device indicating that the first unique ID and the secondunique ID match; and establishing, by the new customer device, acommunication link between the new customer device and the existingcustomer device based on the match.
 15. The method of claim 14, whereinestablishing the communication link between the new customer device andthe existing customer device comprises generating a link key associatedwith the first unique ID.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the linkkey is stored on the existing customer device and the new customerdevice to secure a communication link of the customer devices.
 17. Themethod of claim 15, further comprising generating an encryptedAsynchronous Connection-Less link based on the link key to secure thecommunication link between the new customer device and the existingcustomer device.
 18. The method of claim 14, wherein the first uniqueID, the second unique ID, or both are generated using existing datacomprising one or more of a mobile device number, a customer name, acustomer address, a customer account number or a device identifier. 19.The method of claim 14, further comprising: transmitting, by the newcustomer device, the first unique ID to a financial institution toinitiate communications between the financial institution and the newcustomer device.
 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:receiving, at a load balancer of a device provider system, financialdata from the financial institution; and masking, with the loadbalancer, a network structure associated with the device provider systemto secure the communications between the financial institution and theexisting customer device.